At the turn of the century, there used to be an average of four to five children in Austrian families. In Vienna, in a house made up of 20 apartments, this added up to around 100 kids who spent their free time on the streets, most of the time being unsupervised. In 1905, Naturefriends started fairy-tale readings for children which soon became highly popular: it wasn’t unusual to have 300 kids attend one event. In 1913, a total of 28,000 children attended these readings! 

At the same time, hiking excursions for kids were organised, for example to the Kahlenberg or Leopoldsberg near Vienna. From 1910 on, “youth badges” were sold at parties and presentations. The local groups used the proceeds to cover the costs of food for the children, since free meals were an important incentive for them to participate. Already in the first years, up to 200 children participated in the hiking excursions and they soon became an important Naturefriends service all over Europe.